Cushion for vehicles.



P. F. GUTHRIE.

CUSHION FOR VEHIGLES.

APPLICATION PILD AUG. a, 1907.

Patentea Jan. 12, 1909.

I I I 1 1 1 1 1 r f I 1 l z I z UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PATRIGK F. GUTHRIE, OF NUTLEY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HLF TO EDMUND J. GUTHRIE, OF NUTLEY, NEW'JERSEY.

CUSHION` FOR VEHICLES.

specification of Letters Patent.

ratend ran. 12, 1909.

To all whom t 'may concem:

Be it known that I, PATRIOK F. GUTHRIE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nutley, in the county of Essex and State'of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cushions for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention aims to provide a pneu- `matic cushion arranged to transmit the shocks arising in traveling over rough roads from the wheel to the vehicle body. For this urpose a cylinder and piston are providecl connected preferably to the axle and to the wagon body respectively, together with means for providing and maintaining a determined pressure or pressures'u on opposite sides of the piston. The st ng box and the joints of the cylinder are made as tight as possible by ordinary means. For perfect retention1 of the cushion there is provided an elastic bag at each side of 'the piston in which the air is compressed or carried and from which it cannot possibly' escape; the bags being arranged to substantially fill the spaces within the cylinder so that they are backed by the surrounding metallic walls and the material of the bag is not subjected to any substantial strain.

Other features of improvement to in detail hereinafter.

The acco'mpanying drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 is a rear elevation of the apparatus with the adjacent parts of the vehicle to which it is applied. Fig. 2 is a .Vertical section through the cylinder. Fig. 3 is a plan of a ring used in connection with the piston packmg.

Referring to the embodiment of the invention illustrated a cylinder A is fastened rigidly upon an axle B of the vehicle and a heavy piston rod C is fastened at its outer .end to any suitable part D of the vehicle so that the iston rod (or rods where a plurality of such evices are used) carries the weight of the vehicle body and the cushion actually supports the load at all times such as the wagon body or any additional metallic spring. Preferabl such ton would be app ied one near each en each axle of the vehicle; though any desired number` and position'of the cushions may be availed of. A broad connection is secured at the lower end by means of a strap E runare referred ning around the axle B preferably fastened a cylinder and- (pis;

I thereto by stud bolts F and provided at its upper end with flanges G fastened to the bottom of the cylinder by 'similar bolts. A broad fastening is secured at the upper end of the piston rod by means of washers H and nuts J screwed on the piston rod.

K open at both ends to permit accurate boring of the cylinder and easy assembling of the parts and is provided at its ends with outward fianges bolted 'to the bottom head L and the top 'head M. The upper cylinder head M is provided with a central stuffing box N through which the piston rod passes and each of the cylinder heads is provided also with smaller stuffino' boxes'O and P respectively through which pass the pipes for introducing the compressed air.

Within the cylinder, in the space above the piston is a bag Q of light rubb'er or similar air tight material and annular in shape and of such a height as to fill the space above the iston in thedesired normal position of the atter. A similar bag R is provided substantially filling the space below :the piston. Running through the stuffing box O is a ipe S which passes into the bag Q, the edge of t e bag where the pipe passes throu h it being clamped between washers T and byV means of a nut V so as tomake an air tight joint at lthis oint. The bag R is entered by a similar pipe W. *The ipes S and W after assing out of the heads of the cylinder are ent horizontally and are connected at opposite ends of a vertical pi e X which is connected by means of a pipe If' having a valve Z with an air pump. vehicles an air pump may vehicle for inflating the cushion. Even the cushion may be mfiated from a separate pump-Hand will not require reinflation foran inde itely long time, barrin accidents. Each of the branch pipes S and is provided with a safety valve a adapted by the com- 'pression of its spring to be set for any desired pressure, and with a stop valve b whereby the' connection of the cushion with the air compressor may be cut off. In addition preferably a pressure gage c is provided in the pipe X.

In order to inflate the apparatus it is set with the iston d at the desired height in the cylinder ay for example at the middle point, as shown) and a sufiicient pressure of air is The cylinder is formed of the tubular. shelli In the case of motor driven be provided on the where no such pump is provided, however,`

the cylinder wall pumped into the bag R to maintain the load upon the piston. This operation is efi'ected by shutting off the sto valve of the 'ipe S and o enin'g that of t e ipe W. hereafter tlie upper bag Q will e 'filled with air under such a pressure as willprevent the piston d .and the wagon body connected therewith from being thrown too far u Ward. The pressures may be such for examp e that the total pressures on opposite sides of the piston counterbalance each other, While each opposes a strong but elastic force to the movement of the piston. a

To provide against the letting down of the piston-in case air escapes from one or the other of the bags, it is provided on its opposite faces with cu leathers e held out against y means of spiral springs and having flanges g which are bent inward over said springs sufiiciently to rotect the bags from being cut thereby. Dlshed plates 7tare provided on the. opposite faces of the piston in order also to ma e a smooth backmg for the bags throughout the diamet-er of the piston. The edges of these dished plates h extend out substantially to the s rings f and tend' to expand radially under t e an' pressure so as to hold the Springs out.

It will be seen that the cushion described provides a very efiicient and com aratively :cheap means of lessening the shoc of trav- '=;el mg'over rough roads and one which, by

vreason of the protection of the pneumatic I ,"bags, will be extremely durable and is in lit- 'i for a considera 40 Atle or no idanger of accidental injury or loss of air; and even When the bags, b deterioration of age or otherwise cease to e perfectly air tight, the apparatus 'will still be effective le time by reason of the tightness of thevarious packings. The cushion- 'ing effect is so great as to avoid the necessity 'for pneumatic tires on the Wheels, at least -m a'great'many types of Vehicles Very little rubber is necessary m the construction o f the apparatus and it is therefore substan- .ftlally cheaper as well as more free from danger of injury than pneumatic tires.

` Although the invention is designed especially for use in connection With Vehicles and is claimed broadly in this respect, yet the particular style of cushion illustrated is of especial value in various other situations. For'` example it may be used for the purpose of ,deadening noise on elevated railways and 'similar structures by the introduction of 'a number .of cushions at suitable points for transmitting the shock from the rails, ties,

beains; girders, columns or the like; or at all pointswh'ere the usual longitudinal girders rest upon ;the cross irders. A gage of any sort may' be provide for indicating when the piston is in the intermediate or other desired not space for a very long cylinder, the projecting parts of the pi es S and W may be countersunk in the hea s of the cylinder.

What I claim is:--

1. An air cushion including in combination a cylinder A, a piston d therein, pipes S and W entering said cylinder at opposite sides of the piston for introducing a supply of compressed air therein, a Safety valve and a stop valve in each of said pipes S and W, a common (pipe Y for supplying air to the oposite en s of said cylin er, and a stop valve in said pipe Y.

2. An air cushion including in combination a cylinder, a piston (Z therein, air-tight flexible bags Q and R within the cylinder at opposite sides of the piston res ectively,| and pipes S and W passmg throug the cylinder and into said bags for introducing a supply of compressed air therein, each of said pipes S and W bein provided with a Safety va ve and a stop va ve, and a common pi e Y for supplying air to said bags and provi ed With a stop valve Z.

tion acylinder and a piston d therein, bags of air-tight flexible material within the 'cylinder at opposite sides of the piston, cup leathers e for packing the iston and having inturned edges g, and dis ed plates Iz,v rotecting the bags from direct contact With t e faces of the piston.

4. An air cushion including in combination a cylinder A, a piston therein, airtight flexible bags Q, and R Within the cylinder at opposite sides of the piston .respectively, plpes S and W passing through said cylinder and into, said bags for introducing a supply of compressed air therein, substantia y air-tight stuffing boxes. throu h which the piston rod and sald pipes S an W pass so as to prevent the escape of air from Within the cylinder in case any air escapes from one of the ba s, cup leathers e for packing the piston an having intumed edges g, slprings for pressing the edges of the cup eathers against the cylinder Wall, and dished plates h protecting the bags from .direct contact With the faces of the piston.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto si ed my name in the presence of two subscri ing Witnesses. i

H. W. CAimoiuY, JonN D. DoNALDsoN. 

